Treatment of hydrocarbon oils



Fatentecl Dec. 19 33 i a I v I "bis-o sTA'rss TNT cr me Jacque C. Morrell and GustavEgloff, Chicago,

111., assigners to Universal Oil Products Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of 'South Dakota No Drawing. Application January 30, 193

Serial N0. 512,477 V 1 Claim, (01. lee-e6) This invention relatesto the treatment of hy- The tower 'or treating vessel containing drocarbon oils, and refers more particularly to iron oxide may be directly connected t'oja cr ckthe refining of the relatively low boiling hydroing unit or to a rerun or redistillatio-n unit: so that carbon, distillates. the vapors arising therefrom may be treated'in 5 In one of its specific aspects the invention em-. the manner described. 60 bodies a process for the refining of cracked hy- It has beenfound desirable to neutralize the drocarbon oils and comprises subjecting suchoils distillate immediately after condensation either to treatmentwith sulphur trioxide and steam in by passing the condensate directly through a the presence of iron oxide. bodyof alkaline material. such: asla solution of 10 The invention has especial application to the caustic soda or by washing the distillate free 65 refining of the lighter hydrocarbon distillates in of excess sulphur trioxide or sulphur dioxide the vapor phase and is particularly useful in the resulting from the treatment with water and/or- .refining in the vapor phase of the relatively low alkalies, such as a solution of caustic soda, am- "boiling products resulting from the conversion of monia or the like. The neutralizing agent may hydrocarbon oils by subjecting the said vapors also beintroduced into thevapor line leading 70 from the cracking process during or subsequent to the condenser or into the condenser itself. x

to fractionation to treatment with sulphur tri- The amount of sulphur trioxide employed may OXid-e and Steam in the presence of iron evary from a fraction of a pound to several pounds,

The usual et d 0 fin cracked distilbased on a barrel of hydrocarbon distillate. lates is to subject them to treatment with sul- Sulphur trioxide itself alone or preferably with 75 phuric acid and alkaline solutions, including steam may be employed. Various temperatures plumbite solutions consisting of litharge disoftreatment may be employed, for example, from' solved in alkaline solutions in various combina- 250-600 F., more or less, and the pressures may 7 tions of treatment and subsequently -'to subject be sub-atmospheric, atmospheric, or superatmos- 5 the acid treated product to redistillation usually herie, While the results may vary with the 0 in the presence of steam. The present invention tem eratures employed, the pressures nd ternpermits the direct treatment of the hydrocarbon peratures are chosen so that the hydrocarbons Vap from the Cracking D reducing t are treated substantially in the vapor phase. cost of reagents and eliminating the redistillation In order to reduce the intensity of the re- Yew-fining Operation, althellgh t is Within e action the sulphur trioxide may be admixed with 5 scope of the invention to revaporize the product n inert gas such as flue gas, carbon dioxide and in a subsequehtepemtieh and Subject the Vap the like, and is preferably introduced at various t treatment as deseribedpoints in the treating tower.

In app y the process of ,the invention to As specific examples of the operation of the practice any Suitable equipment y be p y d process of my invention and of the results ob- 90 which will permit the Contac 0f the y tained, a California cracked distilllate of apeal e V p and the p r io and Steam proximately motor fuel boiling range is vaporwith the iron oxide; fol exa p a Suitable ized and subjected to treatment with sulphur tOWe 0 Chamber p with h OXide y be trioxide and steam in the presence of iron oxide.

40 p oyed fo lowing the fractionator of a crackin The vapors are passed at a suitable rate through 5 y feeding the Sulphur i X de and Steam the tower containing the iron oxide and approxidir y to the u permitting n a of mately'one pound per barrel of sulphur trioxide the hy a to be treated with the iron is introduced into the tower. The untreated oxide and sulphur trioxide from any suitable d t h ws a gum content of approximately source, alone or in combination with steam, e00 mgs. per 100 005. and was a reddish brown 0 which may be introduced directly into the tower color. The sulphur content was approximately or treating vessel containing the iron oxide. In 0.20, The treated product shows a gum content lieu of direct packing of the tower or treating vesof approximately 20 mgs. per 100 005. and has a $81 With the i o O d a inert fi i a e al color of plus 25 on the Saybolt colorimeter scale.

" Suc a Rasehig rings, firebriek, C s ed rock, The sulphur content is reduced to approximately 5 gravel, crushed ceramic material, and the like, 0.18. The gum determinations are made by the suitably coated with iron oxide, may be employed. copper dish method.

Similarly, any device which permits the efficient When the iron oxide is distributed over pumice contacting of the vapors undergoing treatment stone similar results to those just described were with the iron oxide may be employed. v obtained. 1 1 0 A mixed Mid-Continent and West Texas cracked distillate when treated in the vapor phase with sulphur trioxide and steam employing iron oxide as a contacting agent gives the following results: The untreated distillate shows a gum content of approximately 350 mgs; per 100 ccs. and a light amber color. The treated distillate may be reduced in gum content to approximately 20 mgs. per 100 ccs. and a color of approximately 25 on the Saybolt colorimeter scale. The sulphur content may be reduced also;

With a Mid-Continent.distilllate containing approximately 350 mgs. of gum per 100 ccs. and having a dark yellow color one may obtain a product containing approximately 30 mgs. of gum per 100 ccs. having a color of approximately 25 on the Saybolt colorimeter scale and with an appreciable reduction in sulphur content by treatment with sulphur trioxide and steam employing approximately one-half of a pound of sulphur trioxide per barrel, based on the distillate treated.

Distillates containing several hundred mgs. of gum per 100 ccs., more or less, and of a dark color, from various sources such as those from West Texas, California, Mid-Continent, Penn sylvania, and the like, may be treated in the presence of iron oxide with approximately one-half to several pounds of sulphur trioxide in the presence of some steam, to produce marketable products of low gum content, good color, odor and stability.

The above examples are only illustrative and should not be construed as restrictions or limitations on the broad scope of the invention.

The treatment herein described may constitute the sole refining action on the oil, or it may conment with sulphur trioxide and steam in the presence of an iron oxideunder conditions capable of removing sulphur and gum and color forming constituents from the product without destruction of the major portion of the gasoline hydrocarbons contained therein.

JACQUE C. MORRELL. GUSTAV EGLOFF. 

